Greg Calbi on What Not To Bring to the Mastering Guy

Greg Calbi is one of the most prolific mastering engineers in the business. You can see his long list of credits here. Recently, I got to drop by his studio in New York City to peek inside a world that's often mysterious to us rank-and-file musicians: mastering. The tour of lust-worthy high-end audio gear was one thing: Most keyboard-based project studio folks can't afford all this stuff, so being able to take advantage of it is partly what mastering experts are for. More importantly, they provide a fresh pair of ears that listens in a way that's very different from you and I as artists, or even the mixing engineer if you didn't mix your project yourself.

In the third and final video in this set, Greg provides some invaluable advice about what NOT to do to your mix before you send it out for mastering. Finishing a recording project? Ignore his wisdom at your own peril.